Hannah ‘Hannabul’ Anderson in Las Vegas!

Steph Riley | 8th September 2015

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How did you get into powerlifting and what made you want to continue?

Well I used to be really keen on athletics, especially running, and was always out doing 5 or 10K runs to keep myself fit. But after I damaged the ligaments in my ankle and was unable to keep running I had to find a way to stay in shape and I needed a release. I was good friends with a personal trainer, who recommended that I should start lifting instead. Although I was a bit of a fitness fanatic I was unsure at first having never really done it seriously, but I decided to give it a go and have never looked back since. I have always been fiercely competitive and once I started my friends even began to get into it. I saw this as a challenge and I kept training more and more just to be stronger than my mates! Soon I was entering local competitions and, as I am a bit of a diva at heart, was hooked on the rush of being up on stage with everyone’s eyes focussed on my performance. After winning the deadlift and finishing 3rd overall in my first competition, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.

Where did it go from there?

After placing well or winning a few more local and regional competitions my trainer and good friend Anthony told me that if I wanted to get serious then there were competitions I could enter to qualify for the Great Britain team at the European Powerlifting Championships. I never expected anything to come of it but I decided to give it a go and I had to compete in 3 categories (bench press, deadlift & squat). But I ended up starting with the weight too high on my bench press – failing all 3 lifts and getting knocked out of the competition. I was devastated but I knew that this could not be the end of the road. I picked myself up and knew there was one more chance to qualify at a second tournament down in London. After some rigorous training I entered and put everything I had into it. I had to hurry back straight after the tournament for a job interview but I got a call on the way home telling me that I had won the competition. Not only that but I had scraped over the qualifying mark by just 2.5kg, meaning I had made it into the GB team! I always believed in myself but I never expected to actually make it and it was the most amazing feeling to see all of that work pay off. I never expected myself to be competing for my country and it still seems like a dream to this day.

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So what happened at the Euros then?

After qualifying in November 2014 I had about 6/7 months to prepare for the European Championships, which luckily for me were being held in England. Working with my trainer Anthony I started putting in extra hours each week to make sure I was in shape and had the best possible chance at taking home a medal. In the combined competition I finished 4th overall but I knew my best chance was in the deadlift, as I had never lost a deadlift competition up until that point. True to form I smashed it and took the gold medal! I had never entered at such a high level before and taking home the gold medal proved that I could compete with the best. I was confident that I didn’t want to stop there and started looking to the future to an even bigger stage.

What are your plans for the World Championships and beyond?

Unlike other sports the powerlifting World and European championships aren’t held years apart and the World Championships are this summer in Las Vegas. As I haven’t been able to gain any sponsorship yet I have had to fund the trip myself: including all flights, hotels and travel expenses. I have been working as much as I possibly can as a personal trainer to raise enough to fund it and I have had an amazing amount of support from my friends and family. It has been tough to balance a job with all of my training and I have had to sacrifice a lot to keep going; unfortunately I have been a complete social hermit in the past year and have barely even had time to think with so much going on! I am going to be competing in the deadlifts at the Worlds and am confident that I can do well with such a good track record in that competition. Obviously I am going up against the best in the world but with everything that I have put into it I am confident that I have a good chance at success and if I can bring home a medal then it would be one of the proudest moments of my life. After recently losing my godmother, who was a massive inspiration for me, I am going to do everything I can to achieve what she always believed I could. It has been a whirlwind adventure so far and I just hope that I can do my country proud and give something back to everyone that has helped me through this unbelievable journey. Once I am back I will be looking on to the British Championships a few months later and so it really is non-stop at the moment. My passion for what I do and my competitive nature have always kept me going and although it has been extremely tough at times, I always feel the same pride when competing for my country and I hope to do this for years to come. That being said, I am quite looking forward to a bit of time off at some point and returning to being a normal human being! 

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Please follow Hannah on Facebook and give her your support. Fingers crossed for the World Championships and lets help bring home the gold!

InstagramHannabulstrong

Words by Tom Perera